Rob Bredow Promoted to Chief Technology Officer of Lucasfilm

Bredow has long been one of the most respected technologists in Hollywood. He was a visual effectssupervisor and chief technology officer at Sony Pictures Imageworks before ankling for Lucasfilm’sIndustrial Light & Magic in 2014, with the title of vfx supervisor. Within months of the move, he was appointed VP of new media and head of the studio’s Advanced Development Group.  In this role, Bredow assisted in the launch of Lucasfilm’s R&D unit ILMxLab, which introduced a “Star Wars” Virtual Reality experience to a group of reporters in San Francisco earlier this week.

In assuming this new role, Bredow says he is striving to uphold Lucasfilm’s signature innovative spirit, and do so in a way that prioritizes storytelling.

“We’re not about technology for technology,” the vfx vet told Variety.  “It’s really about creating experiences, creating emotionally-engaging stories and then finding a way that technology can support that.”

To Bredow’s delight, the CTO appointment will not deter his involvement with ILMxLab, which is at the forefront of a breakthrough phase in storytelling.

“We’re really looking at immersive entertainment in all of its forms: virtual reality, augmented reality, location-based entertainment,” he explained.  “There’s all sorts of new inventions happening in that space right now and also new opportunities for us to tell stories that can only be told in that way.”

Prior to his appointment as Imageworks’ CTO, Bredow was an effects animator. His feature credits include “Men in Black 3,” “Surf’s Up,” “Green Lantern,” “Cast Away,” “Stuart Little,” “Godzilla” and “Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs,” for which he served as the vfx supervisor. He has been nominated for four Visual Effects Society awards and an Annie award. He is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, serves on the Academy’s Science & Technology Council, and is on the Visual Effects Society’s technology committee.

[“Source-variety”]